


Periscope

by Trash



Series: Kinktober 2017 [21]
Category: Bastille (Band)
Genre: Angst, Day 21: shower/bath, F/M, Kinktober 2017, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-21 00:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12445440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trash/pseuds/Trash
Summary: It's not that he hates Chrissy. He doesn't. It's just that he had never thought he would have to accept her as Woody's wife.





	Periscope

**Author's Note:**

> Kinktober 2017, day 21: shower/bath  
> For [lanturnite](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lanturnite/pseuds/lanturnite), who said they'd be annoyed if this series ended without any Woody.

_I don't want to dive in first_  
_You don't want to hear these words_  
_It's only going to make it worse_

It's not that he hates Chrissy. He doesn't. It's just that he had never thought he would have to accept her as Woody's wife. 

He almost says no when Woody asks him to be an usher. But he accepts with a smile and a hug and goes back to his house and drinks himself silly. 

He's balls deep in his own pity party when Will walks in. "Ian rang me," he says, sitting on the bed where Dan lies face down. He strokes his hair gently. "Everyone's worried about you, mate."

"M'fine," he says, "bad day."

Will picks up an empty wine bottle and inspects it. "Hmm," he says. "This have anything to do with Woody getting engaged?"

"No. Yes. I don't know." Dan sits up and rubs his eyes, hoping it's not obvious that he's been drunk-crying. "I'm really happy for him," he says, and it doesn't even sound convincing to himself. 

Will smiles knowingly. "I hate to say it, but you should have really dealt with all of this before now."

"If you're going to be an arsehole you can fuck off."

"Sorry. No. But you can't be cross with Woody about it, it's not like you ever told him."

And Dan loses his battle against tears, then. "I thought he knew, though he knew how I felt," he sniffs, thoroughly depressed. "I was never confident enough to tell him."

Will looks at him and sighs, throwing an arm around him and pulling him in. "It's okay, Dan," he says. "It'll be okay."

***

The only people making speeches at the engagement party are Kyle and one of Chrissy's friends. Dan stands at the back of the room sipping his champagne whilst Kyle tells a family-friendly anecdote and Chrissy’s friend talks about how glad she is her best friend finally found the love of her life and honestly, he wants to throw up. But that could be the dutch courage he indulged in whilst getting ready. 

Charlie appears beside him, nudging him with his elbow. “How you doing?”

“Everyone keeps asking me that, like I’m some fragile little flower.”

“You’re our fragile little flower,” Charlie says with a smile. “Just checking you’re okay, mate. It’s all a bit shit.”

Dan shrugs. “I never told him,” he says, unable to look at the happy couple across the room anymore. He stares at his now empty champagne flute. “I never told him how I felt about him. So. It’s my own fault, really. Just thought he knew. That’s what I get for assuming, I suppose.” A waiter drifts past with a tray of drinks and Dan snatches two, throwing them both back.

“Woah, slow down.”

“Fuck that, it’s a party,” Dan says, forcing a smile, before slipping away into the crowd. 

***

The party winds down earlier than any party Dan has been to in recent history, because Chrissy is a civilised person who cares about her neighbours. He’s aware of people leaving, of the music being turned off. But he’s too drunk to give much of a shit. 

Woody finds him there, lying on his back on the damp grass. He can’t see the stars but he knows they’re out there, which is reassuring. 

“Um, y’okay mate?” Woody comes and stands over him.

“Too drunk to stand up,” Dan says, honestly. 

Woody laughs. “Fair enough. Want to stop here tonight?” 

And Dan is just so, so drunk, that he is suddenly crying. He should not be allowed to drink wine or champagne. “Fuck,” he mumbles rubbing his eyes, “sorry. I’m...really pissed.”

Woody puts out his hand and manhandles Dan to his feet. “Woah, you’re not wrong. You’re also bloody freezing. How long have you been out here?” Dan shrugs, and Woody sighs. “Come on, let's get you inside.”

Woody leads him back inside and somehow manages to get him up the stairs. He hadn’t realised he was cold before, but now he can’t stop shivering. He wonders vaguely where Chrissy is - off somewhere being perfect, he suspects. Woody deposits him on the closed lid of the toilet in the bathroom whilst he runs a bath. Which seems weird. Until Dan realises it’s for him.

“Think you can get undressed?”

“Um.” Dan toes off his shoes and tries to stand up to unfasten his jeans but almost falls over. 

Woody grabs him, steadies him. “Okay, here, let me help.” He holds on to Dan as he pulls off his jeans and unbuttons his shirt clumsily. They make it across the room to the bath without incident, and Dan climbs in whilst holding Woody’s hand. The water is warm, relaxes him immediately, and he is suddenly aware of how drunk he is. 

“Sorry,” he says, drawing his knees up to his chest.

Woody sits on the floor beside the bath and smiles. “It’s fine, mate. You were fucking freezing. Did you have a good night?”

Dan wants to lie, he does, but he doesn’t have the energy. “No,” he says, with a small smile. “Sorry. No. I didn’t.”

“Oh,” Woody says, looking vaguely like he’s been punched.

And Dan thinks, fuck it. What’s he got left to lose? “Do you...do you really not know, Woody? That I fancy you? Well, it’s more than that. I love you. Like, properly love you? And...I kind of thought you knew. But now you’re engaged.”

Woody stares at him, blankly. “Don’t do this now, Dan.”

“What? Do what?”

“This.” Woody gets up and runs a hand through his hair. “You love me? Get fucked. You don’t get to say that to me now.”

Dan stares at his legs under the water, and the way his boxers have changed colour. “Sorry,” he says. “I had to. I know there’s nothing...I don’t expect anything. I don’t want anything. But I had to tell you. Or it would just rot me from the inside and kill me.”

“You know why I proposed to Chrissy?” Woody asks. “Because I told myself that three years was too long to be pining over someone. And I told myself that if, by the end of the third year, you didn’t say anything I’d propose to Chrissy.” He paces the bathroom, agitated.

“What?”

“I made it so bloody obvious. Even the fans knew I fancied you, Dan, for fucks’ sake.” 

Dan blinks. “So. It was down to me? I should have said something?” He laughs, emptily. “Well, shit.”

“Yeah,” Woody says, all the steam gone out of him. He sits down on the floor again. “Fuck.”

“You could break it off with her,” Dan says.

Woody scoffs. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Yeah,” Dan says. He shifts a little, watching the ripples. He should get out and go home, but he can’t bring himself. Instead he just blinks back tears and says, “Yeah. I know.”


End file.
